Kevin Ashman

A corking ending to a most enjoyable trilogy! Loaded with action between Welsh rebels and the English occupiers of Wales! Much brutality, especially the gruesome maiming of Sir Julian, an English knight, for which his friend, another knight, Sir Broadwick, vows to avenge him. Sir Broadwick follows his quest for years before the final confrontation. A mysterious rebel, known as "Diafol" [Devil] wreaks havoc on English supply lines. We follow Nesta in her loveless marriage to an English knight show more and her romance with a swashbuckling Welsh prince. Gwenllian, the tomboy daughter of Gruffydd, drives much of the action, attempting to save a Welsh prince by fleeing Wales with him and his brother. The author's historical notes on the background of several characters who really lived were especially enlightening!

Highly recommended! show less

India Sommers, librarian and old coin aficionado, is going about her normal business when a mysterious man stumbles into her library, asks her to examine a curious ancient coin, stumbles back out, and is murdered. When the enigmatic Brandon Walker asks for her aid to tie the artifact to a high-profile kidnapping and a string of brutal murders, India is thrown into a breakneck adventure that leads her all over Europe as well as back in the past. The novel deftly interweaves the 64AD narrative show more of Rubria, a vestal virgin in the time of Nero, with India's present-time adventure. As the story races towards the denouement, their stories become inextricably intertwined.

I would say this novel falls squarely into the category of historical/conspiracy thriller rather than murder mystery or detective story. For me, the way it linked ancient intrigue with present-day mayhem was very reminiscent of Dan Brown, and in fact I would describe this as a rather gentler story very much in the style of The DaVinci Code. In terms of style, Ashman favors very simple, straightforward prose that makes the book a very fast read. There are numerous grammatical errors, mainly punctuation and capitalization, but I did not feel that they detracted from the narrative. (I read the printed book; the ebook has apparently undergone additional editing).

Thrillers aren't my normal fare, and like most thrillers, the plot falls well outside the realms of probability. I didn't so much suspend disbelief as have to throw it out the window. As someone who is fascinated by mythology, although I don't mind conspiracy theories and know that a little factual leniency is standard in the genre, I tend to find minor inaccuracies in the tiny details rather galling. A few of my hypercritical quibbles: for one, a blonde, blue-eyed Roman citizen such as Rubria would be incredibly unusual in 64 AD, and the casual mentions and depictions of "heaven" felt much more Christian than Roman. I was also jarred by a few anachronisms such as ancient Romans with names like "Amy" and "Rose" (as opposed to Amata/Rhoda/Rosa)and use of expressions such as "okay" or "fuck". I also had trouble reconciling the mythology presented here with that I had previously encountered; given the persnicketiness of my complaints, especially given the syncretism of the region, I spoiler-tagged the specifics: hover for spoiler

At the same time, it is clear that Ashman researched both the historical landmarks and legends that he weaves into the story. I loved the small details he included such as the way early Christians co-opted iconography of Isis into depictions of Mary, mother of Jesus. In the present day portion of the narrative, I faced similar difficulties with my skepticism. I couldn't really reconcile the concept of a special forces operative behaving so haphazardly and unprofessionally or picking up such inexperienced specialist. I also found it somewhat difficult to connect the antagonists' impressive web of conspiracy and intrigue with the rather dubious talents of some of their employees. For such a murderous and far-reaching gang, they seemed to lack a certain level of competence and were oddly shy about harming the protagonists. (Perhaps they failed to read the evil overlord handbook.) Again, however, it's no more improbable than, say, Indiana Jones' or Robert Langdon's adventures. I also loved that the genre-savvy narrator and characters wryly lampshaded some of the scenes that relied heavily on thriller tropes or Bondsian moments. I loved that neither the characters nor the narrator took themselves completely seriously and nicely punctuated the story with humour.

Once my disbelief had been firmly defenestrated, I found it an enjoyable read. Despite my quibbles above, I really loved the way Ashman tied together a historical mystery and the legend of Rubria into a long-hidden conspiracy. I also thought Ashman did an excellent job of bringing characters such as Rubria and Nero to life. I enjoyed the Romans' casual mentions of Boudicca and the way that historical events, such as the burning of Rome, played integral roles in the plot. I found Rubria to be an engaging and sympathetic character and was quickly drawn into her story. In the present-day portion, however, I found Brian and India to be rather flat, and neither seemed to be firmly rooted in their world. I felt that they lacked the backgrounds, relationships, and quirks that delineate personalities. My favorite parts of the present-day portions were the interactions with incidental characters such as a talkative, sexually obsessed, yet oddly motherly inkeep, a laconic Italian guide, and a sarcastic and entertaining cab driver.

Overall, although it didn't quite fit my tastes, I can see this as being a great read for those who like their page-turners a little more towards suspense than mystery. With its web of wide-reaching conspiracies tied to ancient religious artifacts, The Dead Virgins is an enjoyable light thriller that will appeal to fans of Dan Brown, Sam Bourne, and Indiana Jones.

Note: I received this book through the Goodreads First Reads program. show less

A time period not much covered in fiction--nearly a generation [late 12th century] after William of Normandy had conquered England, telling of the disputes between the various Welsh kings [Wales long before it become a unified Wales; the land at this time was split into various kingdoms.] I was tickled to read this, having some Welsh blood myself; and I really enjoyed this absorbing, quick read.

Gruffydd ap Cynan, King of Gwynedd, allies himself with Rhys ap Tewdwr, King of Deheubath. show more Together, they and their men fight a decisive battle at Mynydd Carn in the south and defeat an alliance of three other kings, one of whom is usurper to Gruffydd's throne. These three and their armies answer to William of England. Tricked into offer of friendship by Huw, Earl of Chester, Gruffydd is imprisoned in an obliette. There's also a parallel story, Tewdwr's queen, Gwladys and daughter Nesta escape from their castle and try to evade the forces of Caradog, the usurper, aided by Annie Apples, an old peasant woman, and Walters, a cook.

Fighting among kingdoms was sometimes gruesome, but nothing I couldn't handle. The only horrible incidents that were too grisly were the murder of Annie Apples. Also, the treatment of the Welsh prisoners at the hands of Huw's henchman was horrendous. Most of the characters were generic nobles, royalty, and commoners. Outstanding characters were the tomboy princess Nesta, Annie Apples, and Gwladys, queen of Deheubarth. If anyone is interested, there's an excellent novel on Nesta, when she's a young woman: The Golden Hive.

Names were confusing until I finally sorted them out. The author did try to make it easy as he could and his Note helped me understand better who was who. I thought the book too loaded with deus ex machina incidents and successful, clever ruses to be completely believable. I don't think back then the behavior of the queen and princess while fleeing for their lives would be plausible, e.g., Nesta, an 8 year old, cooking soup. I would have thought royalty back then pretty helpless in common things and they would not interact with commoners as their equals. They would maintain class differences.

Highly recommended. The last sentence in the book has whetted my appetite for the sequel; the author, speaking of Angharad, Gruffyth's queen: "Little did she know that one day she would give birth to a child that would change the future of Wales." show less

My thanks to the Author publisher's and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
Having seen the cover and read the blurb I expected an action packed story to close the gap in my Historical fiction left by the end of Bernard Cornwells Uhtred series, but in fact there was little or no action in the story, the first in a series leading to the battle of Hastings. So you assume I didn't enjoy the book WRONG, this well written and researched story show more was an engaging read from start to finish. Authentic atmospheric full of mystery politics and subterfuge with a real feel for time and place. Totally absorbing from first to last page.
Completely and utterly recommended. show less